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Small Is Beautiful Hamworthy MiniLNG Concept PDF
Small Is Beautiful Hamworthy MiniLNG Concept PDF
Paper
By Sebastian Kunert and ystein Bruno Larsen
Hamworthy Gas Systems AS, Norway
Kunert/Larsen
Kunert/Larsen
Kunert/Larsen
Figure 4: Base load natural gas liquefaction using mixed refrigerants and propane pre-cooling;
Temperature-Enthalpy diagram. Source: ASHRAE Refrigerant Handbook 2002
In the MiniLNG plants, Hamworthy includes an oil-flooded screw compressor, after-cooler, off-the-shelf
heat exchangers, and expansion valves to the liquefaction system, enabling the creation of multiple
phase-changes within the heat exchangers; ultimately resulting in descending temperature of the mixture
which condensates the feed gas and produces LNG. For a non-disruptive production of LNG the MiniLNG
plants will be powered by a gas engine with feed gas or regeneration gas, or both.
The main components for the liquefaction part are copper brazed heat exchangers and an oil-flooded
screw compressor. Also, cryogenic valves, vessels and necessary tubing are required. Since standard
refrigerant components are relatively low in cost and short in delivery time, the used technology offers
potential for reduced capital expenditure over other conventional liquefaction system.
In the MiniLNG system the mixed refrigerant is repeatedly compressed, sub-cooled, condensed,
vaporized, separated, and expanded. As a result, the circulation process requires a sophisticated design
approach and more complete knowledge of gaseous mixture than expander or cascade process cycles.
Again, exergy losses are reduced to a minimum by optimising the refrigerant composition to the boundary
conditions. The gas composition, pressure and temperature will have to be considered. This enables small
temperature differences in the heat exchangers by utilising the temperature glides of the two streams,
even with a relatively simple system layout. A relatively energy efficient concept is thereby obtained
without using more sophisticated system layouts as for large scale plants, cascade systems or gas
processes requiring at least one expander.
Using a standard lubricated compressor introduces the need of a good lubricant handling system. Even
smaller amounts of lubricant brought down to the lowest temperatures may cause clogging of the heat
exchangers and smaller flow channels in other components. The concept ensures all lubricant to be kept
at the higher temperature levels.
The cooling down process functionality
Figure 5 shows a flow sheet of the concept as described by Brendeng and Neraas /2,3/ In the cold-box,
two parallel rows of heat exchangers are used. This is required since plate heat exchangers only enable
Kunert/Larsen
two parallel flows. With two hot streams to be cooled by the cold low pressure refrigerant, namely the
natural gas to be liquefied and the high pressure refrigerant, it is not possible to perform this with only one
plate heat exchanger.
The heat exchangers are connected in series counter flow in the two rows, for respectively the hot and
cold streams, in order to utilize the temperature glides of the two streams to achieve a lowest possible
temperature difference.
The flow sheet of the system can be briefly described as follows:
a) The refrigerant is compressed in the COMPRESSOR.
b) After lubricant separation the refrigerant is sub-cooled and partly condensed by the
COOLANT HX by heat exchange with an external heat sink.
c) In VC1 vapour and liquid are separated. The vapour will have a larger fraction of the more
volatile components, while the liquid contains the less volatile.
d) The liquid is throttled to lower pressure and used as refrigerant in the upper heat exchanger
pair (REF HX3/LNGHX1) together with the low pressure refrigerant coming from the heat
exchanger pairs at the lower temperature levels.
e) Natural gas (NG) entering with a temperature close to ambient is de-superheated in LNG
HX1.
f) The high pressure refrigerant vapour from VC1 is cooled and partly condensed in REF HX3.
g) Vapour and liquid is then separated in VC2.
h) Liquid is throttled to lower pressure and used as refrigerant in the middle pair of heat
exchangers (REF HX2/LNG HX2) together with the low pressure refrigerant coming from the
heat exchanger pair at the lowest temperature level.
i) NG is condensed in LNG HX2, while the vapour from VC2 is condensed in REF HX2.
j) This refrigerant flow is further sub-cooled in REF HX1, before it, after being throttled to even
lower pressure, is used as refrigerant in the pair of heat exchangers at the lowest temperature
level.
k) NG is finally sub-cooled in LNG HX3, before it is throttled to LNG temperature of below minus
160 degrees centigrade and storage tank pressure.
l) Suction gas to the compressor is low pressure superheated vapour leaving the upper pair of
heat exchangers (REF HX3 /LNG HX1).
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The concept ensures that lubricant not captured in the lubricant separator after the compressor is actually
trapped in the liquid of the first separator. This refrigerant liquid is throttled to low pressure and used for
refrigeration in the upper pair of heat exchangers, always at relatively moderate to high temperatures.
Figure 7 shows an example of measured mass flow and natural gas temperature at start-up. The natural
gas temperature at start-up from stand still conditions is 20C, measured before the throttling to storage
pressure. 15 minutes after start-up, cool down starts and pull-down to full capacity production is achieved
after another 15 minutes, with an LNG temperature of about -140C.
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50
20
45
40
-20
35
-40
temperature
30
-60
flow
25
-80
20
-100
15
-120
10
-140
-160
flow kg/h
temperature 'C
40
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
m inutes
start
Figure 7: Laboratory plant measurements of LNG mass flow and temperature before throttling to storage
during plant start-up from stand-still conditions. Source: SINTEF
Experience and technology drive
Hamworthys first small scale LNG liquefaction plant with a capacity of 20 000 tons per year has been in
operation successfully for almost 5 years. This was the first plant of its kind in Norway and the buyer,
Gasnor, followed up with an additional order from Hamworthy for a plant with 4 times the capacity. The
larger plant, at Kollsnes outside Bergen in Norway, went into operation in August 2007.
Applications where Hamworthys small scale LNG solutions can be used are in:
Peak shaving plants have been in operation for many years. Natural gas is liquefied and
stored as LNG in tanks. In periods with high demand, LNG is regasified and distributed in the
pipeline grid.
Small gas reserves can be utilized e.g. associated gas from oil production, small gas fields,
land fill gas, etc.
LNG as fuel to small local power plants, local industry or vehicles and ships.
Flare gas recovery from single or multiple oil wells using a gathering system
Coal Bed Methane recovery from coal resources prior to exploitation of the coal reserves
Landfill gas or biogas production with no outlook for pipeline distribution, the demand is
dispersed and small, and the incentives for to local government
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As far as the MiniLNG system is concerned, this technology seems to be particularly interesting for the
recovery of waste gases from various organic processes (biogas) and coal bed methane recovery. A
successful development in this area is also depending on the application of a suitable gas pre-treatment
technology.
The production of LNG, using the MiniLNG concept is arguably a higher value product than on-site
produced electricity or even CNG. The unique combination of proprietary and off-the-shelf system
components can transform any low value gas into high value LNG without incurring excessive capital and
operating costs.
Again, turning gases into value-added liquid fuels seems to be both economically feasible and very
attractive from an environmental stand point. The MiniLNG concept may play a vital role in terms of
energy provision, minimizing ecological footprints, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and creating new
markets for the use of such gases. Therefore, small or even smaller seems beautiful to our clients.
Sources:
/1/ Paper: Small scale LNG liquefaction plants; Neks P. and Brendeng E.; SINTEF Energy Research,
Trondheim Norway; presented at 22nd IIR International Congress of Refrigeration, Beijing, China, August
21 26, 2007
/2/ Brendeng, E. and Neeraas, B.O. (2000): Fremgangsmte og anlegg for flytendegjring av gass,
Norwegian patent no. 312736, priority date 2000-02-10
/3/ Brendeng E. and Neeraas, B.O. (2006): Method and device for small scale liquefaction of product gas,
EPO patent no. 1255955
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